Penion mandarinus

Penion mandarinus, common name the mandarin penion, southern siphon whelk or Waite's buccinum whelk, is a species of medium-to-large predatory sea snail or whelk, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Austrosiphonidae.

Description
Penion mandarinus is a medium-to-large sized species of siphon whelk. The species could be confused with the sympatric species P. maximus, however P. mandarinus is typically smaller and has a smoother shell with a shorter siphonal canal.

Distribution
This marine species is endemic to Australia (New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria).

Evolution
Penion mandarinus is closely related to another Australian species P. maximus. The species have overlapping geographic ranges (sympatry) and may have evolved from a common ancestor via niche differentiation based on prey size and water depth.

Subspecies
These subspecies have been previously recognised:
 * Penion mandarinus mandarinus (Duclos, P.L., 1831)
 * Penion mandarinus waitei (Hedley, 1903)